Adjustable rail and flange lubricator



Jan. 3, 1939.

R. P. .CLARKS ON ADJUSTABLE RAIL AND FLANGE LUBRI'CATOR Filed July 29, 1957 iNVENTOR Patented Jan. 3, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

ADJUSTABLE RAIL FLANGE LUBRICAT'OR- Claims.

My invention relates to adjustable rail and flange lubricators for lubrication of curves and the flanges of passing car wheels on a railroad track. The wearing rail of. tangent track may also be lubricated, if desired.

An object of the invention is to provide a simple, accessible and readily adjustable device suitable for use with the various rail sections used by the railroads, and free from connection i with the rail itself thereby avoiding many objections such as the expense of drilling the rail in the field and weakening the rail.

A further object of my present invention is to provide discharge openings advantageously posil7 tioned at the moment of discharge to deliver lubricant directly to the wheel flange to assure of greatest efliciency and to prevent sloppiness and loss of lubricant.

Another object is to provide a rugged and inexpensive lubricator which may be readily and quickly installed on operating track and is suitable for short and medium length curves and may be used in multiple, when desired, to cover any distance.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art as the description proceeds, my invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction described in this 3-9 specification and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes in the particular embodiment of my invention may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention. I intend no limitations other than those of the claims when fairly interpreted in the light of the full disclosure and the present state of the art.

As isnow universally recognized, the life of a rail on a curve may be unbelievably lengthened by proper lubrication and at the same time corresponding wear onwheel flanges of passing car trucks may also be cut down. Oil or grease may be used as a lubricant, preferably with the addition of a small amount of graphite. With a lubricator of the type herein described, the lubricant is applied to the flange of the wheels which, one after another, pick it up and spread it along the rail. It is desirable to keep it from the top surface of the rail to keep the wheels from slipping.

In my preferred form of lubricator the discharge openings are up in the angle formed by the wheel flange with the side of the rail head so that the lubricant is pocketed at the moment of ejection and does not reach the top. surface of the rail but is deposited largely on the wheel flange. This makes it possible to place the lu bricator on the straight tangent track before the curve where the wheel is not normally hugging the track and thus room is left for the upwardly projecting portion of the treadle where the discharge openings are provided. Preferably the track rail is slightly ground on the side of the head, if need be, to give a flat vertical rail face m and permit the treadle to hug the rail.

Another feature of my invention is the adjustable two part construction so that the same lubricator may be used for any usualheight of rail, as it is well known that many railroads have a multitude of different rail sections ranging, usually, from lb. rail to 131 lb. rail and including 107 1b., 112 1b., lb. and others which vary in height and somewhat in the width of the base flange.

I am aware that elaborate and expensive lubrieating equipment for long curves has been used and my invention proposes the application of inexpensive and reliable lubricating devices to the multitude of short curves where expensive equipment cannot be economically installed but where in the aggregate the losses from rail and flange, wear is large.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation from the rail side showing an operating treadle and stop and a portion of the body member of a rail and flange lubricator assembly according to this invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional fragmentary elevation 3 through the cylinder of the lubricant pump Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sketch showing the treadle end of an operating lever;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view of an operating lever and adjacent parts, with respect to the rail;

Fig. 5 is an end elevational detail partly fragmentary and sectional illustrating the position of the treadle, the discharge openings and safety stop, with relation to the passing car wheel and the rail;

Fig. 6 is a sketch illustrative of the bridging; member support, with the position of adjacent ties shown dotted; 50

Fig. 7 is a sketch illustrative of a body member provided with a cylinder for the reception of a plunger and vertical guide members for interfitting with the guide members of the bridging member of Fig. 6; 55

Fig. 8 is a conventional sketch showing the placing of a lubricator relative to a curve.

Similar reference characters relate to similar parts in all the views.

Briefly, my preferred lubricator assembly comprises a body member I, a plunger or piston 2, an operating lever 3 pivoted on a spindle or shaft 4' positioned in trunnions 5, 5, and a bridging member 6 for the adjustable support of the body member I, which may be removably secured to it by bolts 1. Proper lubricant intake and discharge passages 24, 21, are provided in the body member I and the intake valve 8 and discharge valve 9, a flexible lubricant carrying connection I between the movable operating lever 3 and the fixed body member I, and a suitable piston return spring II which also returns the treadle to position.

A preferred form of operating lever or treadle arm 3 is provided with a curved tread surface I2, adjacent the inner or rail edge of which is an upwardly projecting portion I3 which is preferably brought to a thin edge in which edge are located lubricant discharge openings l4, I4. These discharge openings communicate by passages l5, I5, with a lubricant chamber I5 below the tread surface I2, which chamber I3 is open for connection, preferably at either end, as desired, with a flexible hose or the like II] which communicates with a discharge passage I! in the body member I. Preferably the enlarged portion of the treadle which provides space for the lubricant chamber I6 projects below the rail head providing a safety stop member I8 which (Fig. 5) prevents the treadle I2 from rising dangerously above the rail 23.

The treadle arm 3 may be adjusted by a stop screw 2| chiefly to regulate the stroke of the plunger 2 and thus control the flow of lubricant discharged, as will be later described.

A lubricant pump, carried by the body member I and operated by lever 3, comprises a piston 2 working in a cylinder 22 preferably bored in the body block I, the lower portion of the bore beingrestricted as at 23 to provide a seat for the piston return spring II. At the lower portion of the restricted bore is a suction valve 8 of the ball type controlling the suction passage 24 which extends through the downwardly projectingdependent portion 25 below the cylinder to a lubricant intake 26 which is normally connected by hose or pipe to a supply tank (not shown) preferably between the ties and sunk in the ballast. Alternate intakes 26, 26, are provided, the

, one not being in use being plugged.

; the discharge openings I4.

Preferably the upward movement of the discharge valve ball is limited by a rod 28 extending downwardly from a plug 29, the removal of which plug gives access to the discharge valve 9 and to the ball for cleaning and renewal, if needed.

In operation when treadle surface I2 is depressed by the flange of a passing car wheel I9, intake valve 8 is forced shut by the pressure caused by the descending piston 2 and valve 9 is lifted, the lubricant in the cylinder 22 being forced out through passages 21 and I! and the flexible hose ID to the lubricant chamber I6, through the passages I1 and out the discharge openings I4. These discharge openings I4 are above the treadle surface I2 (Fig. 5) at the edge nearest the rail 20 and consequently the lubricant is discharged in the inverted V space between the side of the rail head and the inside surface of the flange of the wheel I9 and is picked up by the wheel flange and is then spread along the rail as the flange is forced over against the inner surface of the high rail in swinging around the curve. In general, the wearing rail only is treated and this, as is well known in the art, is the high rail. The position of the lubricator (Fig. 8) is preferably on the tangent at the entrance to the curve and the side of the rail treated is, of course, the inside which is the only surface contacted by the wheel flange in this construction. A close fit of the treadle to the rail is best insured by grinding the side of the rail head flat as indicated at 39 (Fig. 4). This permits more room for the discharge portion I3.

A feature of my invention is the adjustability of the lubricator to any height of rail, without blocking or shimming, by reason of the two part construction comprising a bridging member 6 provided with base flanges 30, 30, which may be secured to the ties by screw spikes positioned in openings 38, 38. The member 6 rests on two adjacent ties (dotted in Fig. 6) a connecting web portion 3| supporting vertical guide members 32, 32, preferably with serrated or saw toothed edges 33. Bolt openings 34, 34, preferably slots, are provided adjacent to the guide members.

The second interfitting part is a body member I (Fig. '7) provided with vertical guide members 35, 35, which fit inside of guide members 32 (Fig.

4) bringing the toothed edges 33 of the bridging member in engagement with similar serrated faces 36, 36, of the body member I and aligning bolt openings 37, 31, of body member I with the slots 34 of the bridging member so that holding bolts I passing therethrough and tightened may position the body member on the bridging member at the height chosen for the particular rail section, and the saw tooth engagement will prevent slipping.

After positioning so that the treadle surface I2 is slightly below the rail top, further adjustment of stroke may be accomplished by the stop screw 2I, as before mentioned. Raising the stop screw 2I will depress the treadle which rests on and depresses the plunger 2 and because of the greater distance from the top of the rail and the fixed normal depth of the car wheel flange, the stroke is thus shortened for normal flanges but sharp flanges because of greater depth will cause a longer stroke and more lubricant automatically. 1

After a wheel passes, return of the treadle arm 3 to position is effected by the spring II, at the same time providing an upward suction stroke of plunger 2 which opens the intake valve 8, closes discharge valve 9, and induces flow of lubricant from the tank through intake opening 26 to the cylinder, ready for the downstroke of plunger 2 to force it to discharge ports I4, I4, as before related.

What I claim is:

1. A rail and flange lubricator of the plunger type comprising a bridging member supported on two adjacent ties and secured thereto, a body member so constructed and arranged that it may be independently raised and lowered to accommodate different heights of rail and adjustably secured to said bridging member, an operating lever carried by said body member and adjustable therewith, other means for supplementary positioning of said operating lever to control the flow of lubricant, a safety stop member carried by said operating lever and projecting under the head of the rail, lubricant discharge means and a flexible lubricant carrying connection between said body member and said lubricant discharge means.

2. A rail and flange lubricator of the plunger type comprising a bridging member supported on two adjacent ties and secured thereto, a body member adjustably secured to said bridging member and movable thereon and provided with lubricant pumping means, an operating lever carried by said body member and provided with a treadle surface and lubricant discharge means above said surface, and a flexible lubricant carrying connection between said body member and said operating lever.

3. A structure as defined in claim 2 in which said operating lever is provided with adjusting means independent of said body member adjustment, and safety stop means carried by said operating lever and projecting under the head of the rail.

4. A rail and flange lubricator comprising an adjustable body member, an operating lever carried by said body member and adjustable therewith so constructed and arranged when positioned as to be depressed by a passing car wheel and provided with lubricant discharge means positioned above the surface contacted by said car wheel, a flexible lubricant carrying connection between said operating lever and said body member and means to support said body member comprising a bridging member supported on two adjacent ties independently of the rail and means to secure said bridging member to said ties.

5. In a rail and flange lubricator of the plunger type comprising a body member vertically adjustable to various rail heights and provided with a cylinder and piston, an operating lever so constructed and arranged when positioned as to be depressed by a passing car wheel and provided with an integral inverted V-shaped portion having elevated lubricant discharge means adapted to project lubricant between the side of the rail head and the inside face of the flange of the passing car wheel, a flexible lubricant carrying connection between said lever and said body member and a bridging member fixedly secured to two adjacent ties and adjustably supporting said body member.

6. As an article of manufacture, an operating lever for a rail and flange lubricator provided therein below said tread surface, an upwardly projecting inverted V-shaped portion adjacent the rail edge of said tread surface and integral therewith and provided with a lubricant discharge opening positioned above said tread surface and a lubricant passage between said lubricant chamber and said lubricant discharge opening.

7. As an article of manufacture, a bridging member for a rail and flange lubricator comprising base flanges of such nature that they may rest on adjacent railway ties, a connecting web portion integral with said base flanges and provided with vertical guide members and provided with bolt openings adjacent to said vertical guide members for adjustably securing a companion piece to said members.

8. As an article of manufacture, a body member for a rail and flange lubricator comprising a main portion provided with a lubricant cylinder adapted for the reception of a plunger and open at the top, a pair of trunnions aligned for the reception of a plunger operating treadle between them, a dependent portion downwardly projecting below said cylinder and provided with a lubricant intake passage, vertical guide members for support alignment and bolt openings fixed with respect to said guide members for support attachment.

9. A rail and flange lubricator comprising a lubricant pump, an operating lever therefor movable in a plane parallel to the rail and pro vided with a treadle surface for contact by passing car wheels and an inverted V-shaped portion integral therewith and extending upwardly provided with lubricant discharge means positioned above and at the rail edge of said treadle surface, a flexible lubricant carrying connection between said pump and said operating lever and means to limit the stroke of said operating lever and thereby limit the discharge of lubricant.

10. In combination with a high rail tangent to a curve and provided with a vertical flat portion on the inside of the head, a lubricator and an operating lever therefor having up and down motion in a plane parallel to the rail so constructed and arranged as to hug said flat portion and actuated by a passing car wheel contacting a treadle surface thereon and depressing said lever, a portion integral with said treadle and depressed therewith of inverted V section extending upwardly against said flat portion and between the rail and the Wheel flange and lubricant discharge means in said portion above said treadle surface and adjacent the flat portion of said tangent rail.

RALPH P. CLARKSON. 

